Long Live the King
Upon visiting the centre of Leicester, you're hard pushed to amble down a city street without being reminded that King Richard III really died in this county. Pubs, plaques, statues and since 2015, his reburied remains are at the very heart of the city whose own University and council-led search party conducted the extraordinary discovery of the perished monarch some 530 years after his demise. Famously, he was found underneath a car park. The man is synonymous with Leicester, as much as the good folk of York will tell you otherwise.
Those of a whimsically tenuous faith have even suggested that Richard's now happily-at-rest spirit might have lifted the 132 year curse on Leicester City in the spring of 2015. Of course this led to the "great escape" and amazing 2015/16 title triumph, capping off a whirlwind two years for this often unremarkable city. Even if that was indeed the case, the Blue Army will gladly remind you who the real King of Leicester is.
Only eight years prior to becoming Premier League champions however, Leicester City Football Club were relegated to the third tier for the very first time in their history. Part of Holloway's hapless squad was a certain 20 year-old by the name of Andrew Philip King. Having been discarded by Chelsea, he'd receive a second chance with Leicester. Starting the 2007/08 season as a teenager, Andy King would make his way into the first team alongside fellow academy graduates Richard Stearman, Levi Porter, Joe Mattock and Ashley Chambers. He made his first significant mark on the team with a 35-yard thunderbolt against Southampton, but City would still ultimately lose the contest and nosedive into League One.
From then on Nigel Pearson reinvigorated the club and King played a key role in The Foxes' immediate return to the Championship with nine goals. He reached the same tally in 2009/10 as Leicester suffered penalty heartbreak in the play-offs. The following season, despite Leicester's struggles under new managers, then 23 year-old King would captain Leicester and was the club's top goalscorer, finding the net a remarkable 15 times from midfield. Then manager, Sven Goran-Eriksson likened the Wales international to Frank Lampard, arriving late into the box and scoring several vital goals. In the January of 2011, King's scintillating form didn't go unnoticed, as he was strongly linked with moves to Everton and West Brom.
Fast-forward to 2014 and Leicester were storming their way to the Championship title. King found himself beneath Matty James and Danny Drinkwater in Leicester's midfield pecking order as the returning Nigel Pearson guided his team to the Premier League for the first time in a decade. A lot of his appearances would come from the substitutes bench towards the end of that season and from then on, the Leicester dugout would become a very familiar surrounding.
In the four years that City have been back in the Premier League, the majority of our favourite Welshman's appearances (sorry Iwan) have indeed been as a substitute. He has found himself backup to the likes of Drinkwater, James, Cambiasso, Kante and Ndidi and is now surplus to requirement in a squad that can even afford to omit Adrien Silva and Vicente Iborra from its first XI.
News broke this week that Andy King has not been named in Leicester City's 25-man Premier League squad, effectively ending his time at the club. Since he was loaned out to Swansea City in January, there has been an impending inevitability that the days of "Kingy" are numbered, even as a squad player. Whilst we were all waiting for it, it's an inexplicably sad thought that he won't be donning the Blue shirt anymore.
I don't write this to question the club's or the manager's decision. In fact, I find myself in a sentimentally begrudging agreement. The decision is undoubtedly in the interests of both parties, as the player and club alike need to move on.
His first, second and third tier winners medals at one club are unprecedented since the Football League restructured in 1958. When scoring on that famous day in the rain against Everton, Andy King embodied everything that was so incredible about what "The Amazing Leicester City" achieved. Rightfully, much is made of Jamie Vardy's meteoric rise and whilst there aren't many bigger fans of our number nine than myself, I felt an overwhelming sense of emotion when seeing that "bit-part" player hold the great trophy aloft. Why was that? Much like Ryan Giggs at Manchester United, he had completed all eleven seasons at Leicester, with at least one goal to his name. His wonder strikes against Sheffield United, Blackpool, West Ham and Leeds. He scored the winner in a league match against Hereford United. His tidy finishes against Forest, Derby and Coventry live long in the memory. His last-gasp winner against West Ham that kicked off the great escape. Even his tackle in the dying minutes against Club Brugge was celebrated like a goal, as we marched on through to the last 16 of the Champions League.
I don't want him to leave, but I don't want him to play alongside the Under 23's either. In an era where testimonials are no longer prevalent, we can only hope he returns to the King Power Stadium as an opponent, strange as it may be.
He was relegated, promoted, heartbroken twice in the play-offs, promoted again, survived relegation, Premier League winner and Champions League quarter-finalist all within a decade at the same club. Andy King is Leicester City. Understated, but with moments of unlikely and unquestionable glory.
377 games, 62 goals and the 19th highest goalscorer in Leicester City's 134 year history.
Thank you Andy, King of Leicester.
Those of a whimsically tenuous faith have even suggested that Richard's now happily-at-rest spirit might have lifted the 132 year curse on Leicester City in the spring of 2015. Of course this led to the "great escape" and amazing 2015/16 title triumph, capping off a whirlwind two years for this often unremarkable city. Even if that was indeed the case, the Blue Army will gladly remind you who the real King of Leicester is.
Only eight years prior to becoming Premier League champions however, Leicester City Football Club were relegated to the third tier for the very first time in their history. Part of Holloway's hapless squad was a certain 20 year-old by the name of Andrew Philip King. Having been discarded by Chelsea, he'd receive a second chance with Leicester. Starting the 2007/08 season as a teenager, Andy King would make his way into the first team alongside fellow academy graduates Richard Stearman, Levi Porter, Joe Mattock and Ashley Chambers. He made his first significant mark on the team with a 35-yard thunderbolt against Southampton, but City would still ultimately lose the contest and nosedive into League One.
From then on Nigel Pearson reinvigorated the club and King played a key role in The Foxes' immediate return to the Championship with nine goals. He reached the same tally in 2009/10 as Leicester suffered penalty heartbreak in the play-offs. The following season, despite Leicester's struggles under new managers, then 23 year-old King would captain Leicester and was the club's top goalscorer, finding the net a remarkable 15 times from midfield. Then manager, Sven Goran-Eriksson likened the Wales international to Frank Lampard, arriving late into the box and scoring several vital goals. In the January of 2011, King's scintillating form didn't go unnoticed, as he was strongly linked with moves to Everton and West Brom.
Fast-forward to 2014 and Leicester were storming their way to the Championship title. King found himself beneath Matty James and Danny Drinkwater in Leicester's midfield pecking order as the returning Nigel Pearson guided his team to the Premier League for the first time in a decade. A lot of his appearances would come from the substitutes bench towards the end of that season and from then on, the Leicester dugout would become a very familiar surrounding.
In the four years that City have been back in the Premier League, the majority of our favourite Welshman's appearances (sorry Iwan) have indeed been as a substitute. He has found himself backup to the likes of Drinkwater, James, Cambiasso, Kante and Ndidi and is now surplus to requirement in a squad that can even afford to omit Adrien Silva and Vicente Iborra from its first XI.
News broke this week that Andy King has not been named in Leicester City's 25-man Premier League squad, effectively ending his time at the club. Since he was loaned out to Swansea City in January, there has been an impending inevitability that the days of "Kingy" are numbered, even as a squad player. Whilst we were all waiting for it, it's an inexplicably sad thought that he won't be donning the Blue shirt anymore.
I don't write this to question the club's or the manager's decision. In fact, I find myself in a sentimentally begrudging agreement. The decision is undoubtedly in the interests of both parties, as the player and club alike need to move on.
I write this to look back on what Andy King has achieved at this great club. No words can do a better job than the above photo, but I'd like to write some anyway.
I don't want him to leave, but I don't want him to play alongside the Under 23's either. In an era where testimonials are no longer prevalent, we can only hope he returns to the King Power Stadium as an opponent, strange as it may be.
He was relegated, promoted, heartbroken twice in the play-offs, promoted again, survived relegation, Premier League winner and Champions League quarter-finalist all within a decade at the same club. Andy King is Leicester City. Understated, but with moments of unlikely and unquestionable glory.
377 games, 62 goals and the 19th highest goalscorer in Leicester City's 134 year history.
Thank you Andy, King of Leicester.
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